hen John Whitney packs
up his office next month
as he retires as principal
of Pleasanton Middle School, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll
be sure to take the Gold Record
and guitar that are the highlights
of parallel interests he has in music
along with education. In Pleasanton, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s known as the dedicated
administrator from his years at PMS
and three years before that as principal at Donlon Elementary. Yet on
the rhythm and blues circuit, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
the lead guitar player with Annie
Sampson and her band, playing
weekend gigs along the California
coast and at well-known local clubs
such as Half Moon Bay Brewery
and Armandos in Martinez. Over
the years, after he graduated from
Cal State Hayward (now East Bay)
and before he settled down to a day
job as a teacher at Wood Middle
School in Alameda, Whitney played
and wrote the music for bands on
stages at county fairs, festivals and
even the Monterey Jazz Festival.
He missed out on Woodstock but
would head there in a minute if
thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever a Woodstock II.
The students at Pleasanton
Middle School know they have a
principal with great musical talent.
Along with three others on the
faculty, he started a Rock & Roll
Club at PMS 13 years ago when
he became principal. Every Friday,
the teacher/principal combo belts
out songs at 7:30 a.m. to welcome
everyone to campus, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite
a scene with sixth-, seventh- and
eighth-graders dancing, singing
and applauding. The group also
entertains at assemblies and may
even take the stage during promotion exercises June 13 when eighth
graders and their families celebrate
the move to high school.
Whitney, who holds a degree in
biology, spent time in his early years
with his father Robert (now deceased), who taught physics at Cal
State Hayward for 30 years and was
a gifted teacher with a doctorate degree. John Whitney marveled at his
fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rapport with his students. As
the fast and tiring pace of playing
multiple venues on the West Coast
grew old, he seized on his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
success and signed on as a science
teacher at Wood Middle School in
Alameda. At the same time, he returned to college for an administration credential.
Pleasanton hired him as a dean
at PMS, a position now called vice
principal, and after a year or so
sent him to Donlon Elementary as
its principal. Whitney came back
to PMS when the top job opened
there and has been in charge of the

JEB BING

Pleasanton Middle School principal
John Whitney stands next to his Gold
Record of rhythm and blues songs on
this best seller from the early 1980s
and the guitar he still plays with Annie
Sampson and her band.

school ever since. He uses the word
â&#x20AC;&#x153;dynamicâ&#x20AC;? to described middle
school students because â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such
a dynamic age as they move from
childhood as young sixth-graders
to beginning adulthood as eighthgrade teenagers. He knows them
all, even remembering their names
when they come back as parents
to enroll their own children. In
fact, five teachers now at PMS attended the school, themselves, and
are now teaching alongside several
teachers they had as students.
With his teaching and administrative years behind him, Whitney
plans to become more active again
on the music circuit. A look at
Annie Sampsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band schedule
this summer will keep him busy
if he signs on to the seven performances she has scheduled through
Aug. 2. They include the Iridium
on Broadway in New York City on
July 16-17, the Iron Horse in North
Hampton, Mass., on July 14, and,
closer to home, Freight and Salvage on Addison Street in Berkeley
tonight and again at Armandos in
Martinez on Aug. 2. Even as popular as Sampsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six-member band
has become, another Gold Record
is unlikely. Whitney got his in the
early 1980s when one of his songs
was on a best-selling, long-playing
album. Although some bands still
record on vinyl, Sampsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recordings are on CDs and even those are
giving way to digital. Top artists
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pick up Gold Records anymore, some donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even get credit
for what they produce.
Whitney says heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll pick up the
pace as retirement sinks in, but he
also plans to spend more time with
his wife Liz, who teaches at Piedmont High School, and their two
sons: Ren, a sixth-grader at Piedmont Middle School near where his
mother works, and Colin, a junior
at Foothill High School.
When asked about playing
the Alameda County Fair or at
Pleasantonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Concert in the Park,
Whitney said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve given me
two great ideas, maybe Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see you
there.â&#x20AC;? N

About the Cover
Reporter Sierra Rhodes shares her experiences in a flight aboard â&#x20AC;&#x153;Witchcraft,â&#x20AC;? a
World War II era B-24. This vintage aircraft and others will be at the Livermore
Airport from Sunday to Tuesday, offering tours and flights to the public. Cover
design by Kristin Herman.
Vol. XIV, Number 17

Faculty, UC Berkeley School of Optometry
Certified in the Treatment of Ocular Disease
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4450-C Black Ave, Pleasanton

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Middle school student
Oh, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m terrified of walking under ladders.
Not because I think it will bring bad luck
to walk under a ladder, but because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m afraid
it will collapse on me.

Tom West
Global Healthcare strategist
My superstitions are usually positive.
When I am heading out for something
that is important to me, I have certain
special clothes I like to wear. I feel like
if I wear these special clothes, things will
turn out well.

Andrew Worth
College student
Well, every time I get into uniform for
the CSU Fresno Drum Corps, I always
put my left pants leg on first, my left sock
on first, my left shoe on first, and my left
glove on first. By putting the left of everything on first, I know I will play my best.

Jessica Stubbs
Middle school student
I know it sounds very clichĂŠ, but I am
most superstitious about black cats
on Halloween and Friday the 13th.
I am afraid they will bring bad luck.

Sotha Pen
Lead kitchen staff, New Leaf market
I have a pendant hanging from the rear view
mirror of my car. My mother once had it
blessed by a Buddhist monk. I keep it there
in order to avoid getting into car accidents.
I think it is working because I used to get
into accidents often, and now I never do.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Compiled by Nancy, Jenny and Katie Lyness
Have a Streetwise question? E-mail editor@PleasantonWeekly.com
The Pleasanton Weekly is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 5506 Sunol Blvd.,
Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566; (925) 600-0840. Mailed at Periodicals Postage Rate,
USPS 020407. The Weekly is mailed upon request to homes and apartments in Pleasanton.
Print subscriptions for businesses or residents of other communities are $60 per year or
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100, Pleasanton, CA 94566. ÂŠ 2013 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction
without permission is strictly prohibited.

Page 4Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;May 24, 2013Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;Pleasanton Weekly

Newsfront
DIGEST
NIF backdrop
for ‘Star Trek’
The makers of “Star Trek: Into
Darkness” went boldly where
few have gone before when they
used the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a film set,
with the approval of the Department of Energy. Filming took
place in 2012 during a normal
maintenance cycle, and costs
were reimbursed by the film
company.
NIF is the premier center for
high energy density science with
a user group spread through 28
states and internationally, and
provides nuclear data without
the need for underground testing. It can produce temperatures
of hundreds of millions of degrees and pressures of hundreds
of billions of atmospheres simulating the conditions in the interior of stars and giant planets.

City employees agree to higher pension
contributions, but gain first wage increase in 3 years
3-year contract cuts city’s costs by $1.15 million
BY JEB BING

The Pleasanton City Council approved a
three-year agreement Tuesday night with the
union representing 220 regular city employees
that will raise individual pension contributions
to 8% by the end of the year and reduce floating
holiday hours while also granting a 7% wage
increase over the life of the new contract, the
first pay increase in several years.
Julie Yuan-Miu, assistant city manager and
director of administrative services, told the
council that the new agreement, which includes
a package of reduced benefits for newly hired
employees, will reduce costs for the city by approximately $1.15 million.
She said the agreement with the Pleasanton
City Employees Association brings the munici-

pal benefit and pension contribution plans in
line with firefighters and police, who are represented by separate unions.
The council voted unanimously to approve
the 55-page agreement, which had been accepted earlier by employee union members.
The contract will take effect after the council
ratifies the agreement at its meeting on June 4.
Individual pension contributions were raised
initially to 2% in July 2011 at the same time a
wage freeze was in effect due to the recessionary
economy. Prior to that, the city paid all costs
associated with police, firefighters and city employee health and pension benefits.
In December 2011, employees paid an additional 1%, and again last July added another
1%, bringing the current total contribution to

Recycling Board
has vacancies
The Alameda County Source
Reduction and Recycling Board
has two vacancies, one for “an
Environmental Educator employed as such on a full-time
basis” and another for “a representative of the recyclable materials processing industry.”
The Recycling Board administers the voter-approved Waste
Reduction and Recycling Initiative, which levies an $8.23 per
ton landfill disposal fee that
generates approximately $8 million per year for waste reduction
and recycling programs.
Terms are two years. The
board the normally meets on
the second Thursday of each
month, and its 11 members are
paid $100 per meeting.
The deadline for applications
is 5 p.m. June 14. For more information, call (510) 891-6500.

See CONTRACT on Page 9

Police: ‘victim’ faked
tale of robbery,
kidnapping

Some swim programs
relocate to Amador
Since part of the Dolores
Bengtson Aquatic Center in
Pleasanton is closed for renovation this summer, some programs
will be relocated to the pool at
Amador Valley High. However,
the 50-meter pool, locker rooms
and office at the Aquatic Center
will remain open.
Summer recreational swim
will take place at the Amador pool at 1155 Santa Rita
Road with admission paid at
the Amador Theater box office.
Swimming at Amador is recommended only for accomplished
swimmers, and children under
6 must be accompanied by an
adult swimmer.
Summer swim lessons and
lap swims will take place at the
Aquatic Center. Water Fitness
classes will be offered at both
sites.

4%. The new contract raised that to 6% this
month and adds another 2% in December, raising the individual contributions to 8%.
Also this month, employee wages will be
raised by 2%, by another 2% in December, by
another 1% in April next year, and by another
2% in April 2015.
In the new contract, employees will see
their hours allowed for floating holidays reduced from 56 to 32. Floating holidays are
similar to regular holidays but the hours are
taken on a flexible basis and upon approval
of a supervisor. The reduction of 24 hours
is equivalent to approximately 1% of wages,
Yuan-Miu said.
Employees hired since Jan. 1 also have re-

District Attorney will seek
reimbursement of police costs
BY GLENN WOHLTMANN

JEB BING

Joining newly elected Pleasanton Councilwoman Kathy Narum (third from left) at her swearing-in
ceremony Tuesday are (from left) her sister-in-law Kelli Reed, daughter Lisa, nephew Jack Reed,
husband Jeff, daughter Jennifer, and her mother, Donna Reed. Lisa and Jennifer Narum have jobs
in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio, and flew in Tuesday for the swearing-in ceremony. They
both left Wednesday to return to work.

Newly elected Kathy Narum takes
seat on Pleasanton Council
Family, supporters give standing applause at Civic Center ceremony
Newly elected Pleasanton City Councilwoman Kathy Narum was sworn into office
Tuesday with her family at her side and to loud
applause from a council chamber packed with
her supporters.
Narum was sworn into office by Federal
Judge Lawrence O’Neill of the U.S. District
Court in Fresno, She took the council seat
vacated by former Councilman Jerry Thorne
when he was elected mayor last November
and after the four-member council adopted
a resolution declaring the results of the special all-mail-in ballot on May 7.

In that election, with 11,812 ballots cast,
or 28.1% of the 41,984 registered voters in
Pleasanton, Narum received 4,643 votes. She
was followed by candidate David Miller, who
received 3,159 votes; Olivia Sanwong, 2,014
votes; and Mark Hamilton, 1,873 votes.
After handshakes welcoming her to the
council by Mayor Thorne and fellow council
members Karla Brown, Cheryl Cook-Kallio
and Jerry Pentin, Narum took her seat, bringing the council back up to full strength for the
first time since the Nov. 6 election.
—Jeb Bing

An attempted kidnapping and purse snatching
reported to police last week turned out to be a false
alarm — and a false report, according to a news
release by the Pleasanton Police Department.
Jennifer Flores, 23, of Pleasanton, who claimed
she and her infant son were the target of an attack
May 16, was arrested at about 3 p.m. Wednesday
for filing a false police report, a misdemeanor. She
was booked into Santa Rita Jail after police took
her into custody at her job in Dublin.
Flores originally claimed two men jumped
her at about 6:20 p.m. in the 4400 block of
Seminole Way, near the bus stop on the south
side of West Las Positas Boulevard. She told
police one of the men pushed her down and
grabbed her purse while the other tried to make
off with her baby in a stroller, abandoning it —
and the infant — when it tipped over.
Police spent hours investigating the case because of its serious nature. As the investigation
progressed, however, they became suspicious of
the information they’d been given.
“A significant part of the investigation focused
on the information that was provided by the
victim,” the release states. “As detectives spent
more time with Flores, they discovered several
major inconsistencies in her statement.”
In fact, police said they found surveillance
video of Flores leaving her purse at Domino’s
Pizza in Pleasanton about an hour before she
reported the robbery.
The video also showed the purse with
Domino’s employees during the same time
period Flores said the crime took place, and
video from the next day showed her returning
to the store to recover the purse she claimed
had been stolen.
“Even after Flores recovered her purse from
Domino’s she continued to lie to detectives and
perpetuate the false report of a robbery and
attempted kidnapping of her infant son,” the
release states.
After Flores was taken into custody, a search
turned up the property she’d reported as stolen.
“Flores finally admitted she fabricated the
See FAKE on Page 9

Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊU Page 5

NEWS

Neighbors question park’s lack of amenities

TAKE US ALONG

Woodthrush Park is up for review in September
BY DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI

Independence Day jaunt: Philip and Emily Scholz, and their Weekly,
reach the peak of Mount Elbert, the highest in the Rocky Mountains at
14,440 feet. They completed the hike with their family on July 4.

When Alan Mode received his
copy of the Summer 2013 Activities
Guide, he noted the list of Pleasanton parks and their amenities.
“Forty-three parks are a tribute
to the city’s planning, but there is
one park which stands out,” he
said, “not because of its special
facilities, but the fact that it has
absolutely no amenities.”
This is Woodthrush Park, which
is a block away from his home on
Gapwall Court.
“The three smallest parks (Civic,
Delucchi and Lions Wayside) are
one-fifth the size of Woodthrush,
but they all have some amenities such as picnic tables and play
areas. Woodthrush has nothing,”
Mode said. “At least at the minimum there should be a picnic table
or two, so people could come and
have coffee together.”
City officials said the latest Parks
and Recreation draft plan includes
Woodthrush Park improvements,
which are being fine-tuned.
Woodthrush, a 3.5-acre park, is
surrounded on three sides by Woodthrush Road, Blackbird Drive and
Skylark Way, which leads to Pleasanton Sports Park a block away.
Mature trees at Woodthrush
shade much of the wide expanse of
grass, which slopes toward Woodthrush Road. The park has benches
at either end, a cement walkway,
and drinking fountains at Blackbird
Drive. The park was probably built
in 1975 along with homes north of
Blackbird.
City Landscape Architect Mike
Fulford said he led a public hearing
on the park in 2004 when the city
proposed adding a small children’s
play area, picnics, barbecues and a
basketball half-court.
“At the time the neighborhood sentiment, at least the few at the meeting, didn’t want additional amenities,” Fulford recalled. “In the end, all

DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI

Some neighbors of Woodthrush Park have questioned why it doesn’t have any
amenities. In the past, neighbors have asked to keep it as is although now the
city is considering improvements.

the city did was to replace the aging
asphalt pathways with concrete.”
The city has two kinds of park,
neighborhood and community, Fulford explained. Community parks
have restrooms and parking and
are expected to draw from throughout the city. Neighborhood parks,
such as Woodthrush, as intended
for those in the immediate vicinity.
“Some neighbors who have been
there their entire lives have that
sense of ownership,” Fulford said,
and they felt adding amenities
would draw more people. “They
were concerned about outsiders.
Everybody has different wants, different needs, we see it all the time.
The city tries to balance all of that.”
“It begs another question,” he
added. “Why when the park was
first developed was it so abbreviated in the first place? These days
we design lots of amenities from
the very beginning.”
Fulford also noted there is some
truth to the point that the Sports Park
with full amenities is right across the
bridge off Skylark.
“The neighbors liked that it’s a
passive park,” remembered retired
Parks and Community Services Director Jim Wolfe. “They didn’t want

it to become an area where teams
would come practice. We did concrete work and that was it.”
The Parks and Recreation Commission has a priority setting session each year, followed by its recommendations to the City Council,
which happened earlier this year.
“Woodthrush Neighborhood Park
was assessed as part of the current
Parks and Recreation Master Plan
process, and the plan does have recommendations to improve the site,”
said Susan Andrade-Wax, director
of Pleasanton Community Services
Department. “Currently the plan is
in the draft phase, however once it
has been refined it will be presented
at a joint workshop of the City
Council and Parks and Recreation
Commission. Staff believes that will
occur most likely in September.”
Before the workshop, the documents will be posted on the city
website, easily accessible to the
community, she said.
Alan Mode has already made his
feelings known to Andrade-Wax.
“Pleasanton deserves better than
to have a ‘park’ without any amenities, which is little more than a
couple of vacant lots with grass,”
Mode said. N

and

5th Annual
HOOK AND LADDER RUN
Sunday, June 2, 2013
5K RUN/WALK, 10K RUN AND KIDS ONE-MILE FUN RUN
Start Time: 8 a.m. (Check-in: 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m.)
Place: Wente Vineyards - 5050 Arroyo Rd, Livermore, CA 94550
Beneﬁts: The Livermore-Pleasanton Fireﬁghters Foundation is a non-proﬁt
501(c)3 that supports: Injured and Fallen Fireﬁghters, Burn Foundation
and Local Charities in the Tri Valley.
Course: The 5K is a run/walk that is 50% paved and 50% dirt road
and is stroller friendly. The 10K is 90% dirt road and 10% paved road.
Strollers are not allowed in the 10K. Both runs travel through Sycamore
Grove Park and are very ﬂat with only one hill on the 10K. The Kid’s 1 Mile
Fun Run (for ages 12 & under) will take place at Wente Vineyards at 9:30 a.m.
No dogs are allowed on either of the courses or the fun run.
Register at: www.onyourmarkevents.com
Awards: 3 deep in each age group (M & F) 12 and under, 13-17, 18-29,
30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+ (Special prizes for top 3 Male and Female
race winners 5K AND 10K RUN)
Water and refreshments will be provided at the end of the race. Wente Vineyards will have additional food and wine tasting for purchase. No picnicking.
Page 6ÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊUÊPleasanton Weekly

NICOLE STEWARD

Leading the way
Three students from Amador Valley High’s engineering program, part of the district’s new Project Lead The Way program, took ﬁrst place at their ﬁrst-ever competition. The students, Cristian Castro, Kalean Song and Clint Stewart, posing with their teacher, Tony Dennis, went up against 15 schools in San Diego on May 11. The three were recognized at a
recent school board meeting, and each won a laptop computer, courtesy of Chevron, which sponsored the trip.

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Exercises at the 11-week Recruit Fire Academy included firefighting in the urban wildland interface.

Training prepares firefighters
for specific emergencies
New recruits finish academy, are sworn into departments
Fifteen new firefighters for the
Livermore-Pleasanton and the Moraga-Orinda fire departments graduated last Friday from the 11-week
Recruit Fire Academy.
The recruits began with varying
degrees of emergency services experience but received more highly technical training specific to the type of
emergencies in this region. This included firefighting in the urban wildland interface, vehicle extrication,
pressurized natural gas line firefighting, commercial structure firefighting
and technical rescue training.
The newly graduated recruits
are Aaron Bates, Darren Bourne,
Ryan Capes, John Duffy, Adam
Elliott, Joel Ficher, Robert Hernandez, Christopher Jesberg,
See FIREFIGHTERS on Page 8

UÊ+Õ>wÊiÃÊvÀÊ,ÊEÊ{ä£ÊÀÛiÀÃ
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Call (925) 400-8333 to learn more
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PHOTO COURTESY LPFD

Firefighter recruits receive highly technical training specific to the emergencies
seen in this region.

Haugen’s spirit lives on in awards
Community members lauded for their contributions
BY DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI

Good feelings filled the Veterans
Memorial Building last Thursday as
people gathered to support the values promoted by longtime school
board member Juanita Haugen,
who died in 2007 after a two-year
fight against cancer.
The seventh annual Community
of Character Luncheon and Awards
Ceremony celebrated Pleasanton
residents who practice the group’s
heralded traits: responsibility, compassion, self-discipline, honesty,
respect and integrity. The program
was founded in 2002 under the direction of Haugen and is supported
by the city, the school district, the
Chamber of Commerce and service
and faith groups.
The awards ceremony, emceed
by board member Kelly O’Lague

Dulka, began with a musical performance by Don Lewis of “The
Power of a Dream” as a tribute to
community activist Jack Dove, who
died April 24.
This year’s award recipients were
Tom Fox, Jim Ott, Pam Yeaw and
the Rotary Club of Pleasanton.
“The value of a true leader is someone who gives and not takes,” said
former award-winner Robert Shapiro
when introducing Fox. “That’s what
Juanita was noticing when she left us
the legacy she did.”
“Tom’s motto in Rotary is ‘Do good
and have fun,’” Shapiro added.
Fox spoke briefly, noting he
moved to Pleasanton in 1970.
“There is not a better place to live.
It’s full of people with good character that are willing to help,” he said.
City Councilman Jerry Pentin in-

troduced former banker and poet
laureate Ott, saying they’ve worked
together on community projects for
many years and he’s always regarded
Ott as an elder statesman since he is
three weeks older than himself.
“We’re all blessed to be in this
community,” said Ott, who now is
an English professor at Las Positas
College.
Police Capt. Eric Finn introduced
Yeaw, a longtime volunteer with the
Pleasanton Police Department.
“The Juanita Haugen Community of Character award is really a
lifetime achievement award,” Finn
said. “Each recipient has a rich history of making their mark in our
little corner of the world.”
He went on to laud Yeaw’s thousands of hours volunteering with
See CHARACTER on Page 8

Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊU Page 7

NEWS

Which city is richest?
Depends on how the numbers are run
Pleasanton near top according to several measures
BY GLENN WOHLTMANN

DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI

The four honored this year were Tom Fox, Jim Ott, Pam Yeaw and the Rotary Club of Pleasanton.

CHARACTER
Continued from Page 7

the Police Department.
“She’s truly an ambassador for
our organization,” Finn said.
Mayor Jerry Thorne introduced
Rotary president Julie Lewis to
accept its award.
“Rotary was responsible for
many of the amenities we have
in our community today,” Thorne
said. “If you’ve found shade at
the Sports Park, it’s because they
planted trees.”
He went on to list scholarships, holiday dinners, helping
seniors with cleaning, distributing wheelchairs to those in need
and more.
“It sounds very much like a
Community of Character to me,”
Thorne said.
Rotary District 5170 Gov. Joe
Hamilton also acknowledged the
award and said he had been an
educator and had known Juanita
Haugen.
PUSD Senior Director of Pupil

FIREFIGHTERS
Continued from Page 7

Jeff Keena, Britanny McMahon,
Frank Nasca, Gilbert Perez,
Christopher Sillers, Ryan Stark
and Mathew Venema.
The Livermore-Pleasanton and
the Moraga-Orinda fire departments partnered in providing the
Fire Academy to their newest recruits in an effort to be more efficient and cost effective. The process
uses a regional approach to training, much as area organizations do

Services Kevin Johnson was the
last speaker, asking for donations
to the Juanita Haugen Scholarship Fund.
“As far as I’m concerned she
beat cancer because her spirit and
character live on in this community,” Johnson said. N

Pleasanton came out near the
top of a recent list of the wealthiest
cities in America.
The city placed No. 3 in the
nation, with San Ramon at the
top. Danville didn’t make the list
— not because it’s less wealthy,
but because it’s too small to count,
and neither Dublin nor Livermore
made the cut.
Personal financial advice website Nerdwallet put together a list
of the top 500 cities in the country,
based on population. Nerdwallet
looked at cities that had the highest percentage in the nation of
households bringing in $100,000
or more a year.
As of 2013, the U.S. Census put
Pleasanton’s population at 72,296,
making it the 488th largest city in
America.
Pleasanton came in third in the
nation for wealth, according to
Nerdwallet’s calculation of highest-earning households, with 59.8
percent earning $100,000 or more.
The website showed 22.3% earned
$200,000 or more; 14.7% made
$150,000 to $199,999; and 22.8%
made $100,000 to 149,999.
San Ramon’s population is
81,323, putting it at No. 420
in population; Danville had a

population of 42,457 and was
No. 967 on the list of the largest
cities in the country. San Ramon
came out on top, according to
Nerdwallet, with 63.5% of its
population earning $100,000
or more. Census figures show
25% of San Ramon households
brought in $200,000 or more;
16.4% brought in $150,000 to
$199,999; and 22.1% brought in
$100,000 to $149,999.
Danville — based on 2011 figures, the latest available for the
town — was a close second, with
63.2% of households bringing in
$100,000 or more. Danville had
more high-income households:
28.2% brought in $200,000 or
more. It had fewer households
that took in $150,000 to $199,99
— 15.4% — but more households that brought in $100,000
to $149,999. Altogether, that put
Danville slightly lower, using those
figures.
A case could be made that
household earnings is a slanted
way of measuring numbers; some
families in San Ramon, particularly in Dougherty Valley, have two or
more generations earning wages.
Pleasanton placed second for
average home prices, with an average of $767,900, and using home

prices as an indicator put Danville on top at $917,500, and
San Ramon third of the three, at
$739,700.
Looking at the census numbers
for median income put Danville
on top at $133,888. San Ramon
also scored high at $121,756 per
household, and Pleasanton at
$120,437 per household.
So, which of the measures
should be used to determine the
wealth of a city? All three, according to Tracey Grose, vice president at the Bay Area Economic
Institute.
“I would say they all are equally
valid. The economy is a complex
base, and you can only explain it
by looking through the economic
prism, if you will,” Grose said.
“You can portray a balance by
looking at all three.”
Grose said there’s a fourth indicator, the “gini coefficient.” That,
she said, represents the distance
between the highest income earners in an area and the lowest earners.
But, she said, the coefficient
may not work to see which of the
three cities is wealthiest, because it
looks at a broader picture and can
be “inconclusive” when narrowed
to a specific city or town. N

DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI

Heather Haugen Rizzoli, daughter
of Juanita, chats with community
supporters after the ceremony.

when they provide service.
Nine members of the Recruit
Fire Academy were hired by
the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire
Department and six by MoragaOrinda.
The graduation ceremonies were
held at Safeway Corporate Center
on Stoneridge Mall Road on Friday evening, hosted by LPFD Fire
Chief Jim Miguel and MOFD Fire
Chief Randy Bradley. The recruits
had their badges pinned and were
officially sworn in to their fire departments. N

ALL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
AND PUBLIC COMMENT IS WELCOME
The above represents a sampling of upcoming meeting items.
For complete information, please visit
www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/community/calendar
Page 8ÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊUÊPleasanton Weekly

Safeway raises $10.8 million in April for people with disabilities
Easter Seals, Special Olympics among charities that benefit
BY JEB BING

Pleasanton-based Safeway Corp.
raised and donated more than
$10.8 million in April for Easter Seals, Special Olympics and a
range of other charities that support people with disabilities.
This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campaign brings the
total donation from the annual
Support for People with Disabilities campaign, along with other
fundraising activities, to $150 million to benefit some of the most
respected and prominent charities
that help people with disabilities
live fuller lives.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are extremely grateful for
each and every contribution that
will help improve and transform
the lives of countless people and
ensure their disability doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
define their lives or limit their
personal potential,â&#x20AC;? said Larree
Renda, Safeway executive vice
president and chairwoman of The
Safeway Foundation.

CONTRACT
Continued from Page 5

duced retirement plan benefits.
The stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Public Employeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
Pension Reform Act of 2013 took
effect that date and requires that
new employees who are enrolled

Each of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affiliates, including Vons, Pavilions,
Dominickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Tom Thumb, Randalls
and Carrs, collected donations at
checkstands throughout April. In
addition, the company and The
Safeway Foundation partnered
again with Rebuilding Together,

or people with disabilities.
The more than $150 million
raised over the years has financed
or supported countless important
projects. Funds donated by Safewayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers have:
â&#x2013; Trained Easter Seals staff across
the country to help expand visibil-

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Year after year, Safewayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employees

and customers go the extra mile
to support Easter Seals services for
children and adults with disabilities.â&#x20AC;?
James E. Williams,
president and chief executive office of Easter Seals

the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading nonprofit providing critical repairs and accessibility upgrades to low-income
homes and community centers,
to renovate nine homes and nonprofit centers serving seniors and/

in the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)
for the first time have the maximum benefit factor of 2.5% at age
67 formula, a change from the
former 3% at 65 benefit.
Also, in a new Retiree Medical
Program, instead of medical cov-

ity of early intervention programs,
which are critical for special-needs
children, especially those with autism or other disabilities.
â&#x2013; Supported 23 Special Olympics
programs in 22 states.

erage for two parties after retirement as current city retirees are
now receiving, the new program
covers the employee only and
ends at the time those individuals become eligible for Medicare,
which is currently 65 years of
age. N

â&#x2013; Helped Easter Seals provide

more than 37,000 hours of afterschool care and other services for
children with developmental disabilities in the San Francisco Bay
Area through Easter Sealsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Kaleidoscope program.
â&#x2013; Provided free training and competition opportunities to more
than 13,000 Special Olympics athletes in Arizona.
â&#x2013; Helped Special Olympics Colorado expand to provide sports
training to an additional 806 athletes.
â&#x2013; Financed the renovation of 20
homes and 12 nonprofit centers
nationwide through Rebuilding
Together, benefiting nearly 5,500
individuals across the country.
More than 1,800 Safeway employees donated more than 15,000
hours volunteering on Rebuilding
Together projects.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Year after year, Safewayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employees and customers go the

FAKE
Continued from Page 5

entire story and there was no truth
to what she had reported,â&#x20AC;? the release says.
She was booked at Santa Rita Jail
with $10,000 bail. Filing a false police

extra mile to support Easter Seals
services for children and adults
with disabilities,â&#x20AC;? said James E.
Williams, president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We
are proud of the positive impact
for our clients, and the families
that love them, made possible by
our good friends at Safeway and
The Safeway Foundation.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are thrilled with the results of Safewayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campaign for
people with disabilities,â&#x20AC;? said Special Olympics president and chief
operating officer Brady Lum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On
behalf of more than 550,000 Special Olympics athletes in North
America, I want to thank the Safeway store employees who tirelessly
supported the campaign and the
Safeway shoppers who made generous contributions to help ensure
that their local communities are
ones where all people are accepted, welcomed and celebrated for
their gifts and talents.â&#x20AC;? N

report carries up to six months in jail.
The Pleasanton Police Department spent about $2,980 in staff
time and resources investigating
Floresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; claim. The Alameda County District Attorney will ask that
Flores be ordered to reimburse the
department for its expenses. N

College Boot Camp
College Boot Camp, an interactive workshop that will guide incoming seniors through the entire
college application process, is taught by two of the top college admissions counselors in the Bay Area!
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XIBUUPBWPJE
BOEIPXUPHFUTUBSUFE

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BNOPPO
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QN

All incoming seniors should take advantage of this great opportunity to get a jump start on their college applications!

Pleasanton Summer School

A must for students enrolled in AP Computer Science, hobbyists, and future engineers
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QSPKFDUCBTFEFOWJSPONFOU4UVEFOUTXJMMCFHJOXSJUJOH+BWBBQQMJDBUJPOTJNNFEJBUFMZ

Thoratec Corp., a Pleasantonbased designer and manufacturer
of device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies, has
received approval from the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration to
market the HeartMate II Pocket
Controller, a smaller version of its
HeartMate II LVAD system.
The device saves, supports and
restores failing hearts, company
representatives said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;In offering our next-generation

Pocket Controller device, we are
providing a product that has been
extensively tested and is designed
for greater ease of use and safety,â&#x20AC;?
said Gary F. Burbach, president
and chief executive officer.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a significant amount
of clinical experience and patient
feedback from Europe that has
highlighted the Pocket Controllerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to deliver meaningful
benefits in everyday living with
this therapy,â&#x20AC;? he added.
The Pocket Controller is de-

TM

20th

SUMMER

GET-TOGETHER

signed to support the active lifestyles that patients with HeartMate II LVADs are leading. The
Pocket Controller is lighter and
more compact than previous
LVAD system controllers, and it
features an intuitive user interface
with enhanced information content. Additionally, with a singleside cable design, the device can
slide easily and discreetly into a
front pocket.
The Pocket Controller has also
been designed to promote patient safety, through features including prioritized visual alarms,
on-screen instructions and a
backup battery, which can provide at least 15 minutes of full
power during periods of inadvertent disconnections from power
sources.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Patients are living for extended periods of time on HeartMate
II support, either while they wait

for a transplant or as a long-term,
destination therapy,â&#x20AC;? Burbach
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The launch of the Pocket
Controller provides an attractive
option for these patients and advances Thoratecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission, which
is to improve the lives of individuals suffering from advanced
heart failure.â&#x20AC;?
Thoratec began training U.S.
implanting centers on the Pocket
Controller this week. Following clinician training, the Pocket
Controller will be available for
new patients as well as for current HeartMate II patients eligible
to upgrade their existing system
controllers. N

About HeartMate II
HeartMate II is the most widely used and extensively studied
LVAD in the world. Featuring innovative design elements, includ-

ing proprietary textured surfaces,
blood immersed ruby bearings
and open flow paths.
Thoratecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HeartMate II has
proven to be a highly durable
device capable of long-term circulatory support. In clinical testing, over 80% of HeartMate II
recipients became virtually free
of heart failure symptoms shortly
after implant and sustained those
improvements for the full twoyear follow-up period. Moreover,
controlled clinical trials as well
as large-scale commercial experience have demonstrated significant improvement in patientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
functional capacity, with 94% of
HeartMate II recipients able to
perform the six-minute walk test
after six months of support.
To date, more than 14,000 patients have been implanted with
HeartMate II, including more than
6,000 currently on support.

THIS YEAR, ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS.
Stoneridge Creek, the retirement community unlike any
other in Northern California, opens in Pleasanton this
year. That means life without the hassles of landscaping,
housekeeping or maintenance of any kind is close
enough to see, with restaurants, an open-air pool, fitness
center and spa, art studio, walking trails, performing arts
theatre and more, all included. Add in unlimited access
to a full continuum of care, if ever needed, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll
discover you can expect more from retirement.
For a sneak peek of Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest Continuing LifeÂŽ
community before it opens, call or stop by to visit
our model home.
5698 Stoneridge Dr
Pleasanton, CA 94588
StoneridgeCreek.com

CALL 1-800-924-6430 BEFORE WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE
COMPLETELY RESERVED!
Continuing Life Communities Pleasanton LLC, dba Stoneridge Creek Pleasanton, has received
authorization to accept deposits from the California Department of Social Services.

Let’s support the Memorial Day observance Monday starting at 10:30 a.m. just south of the Pleasanton Senior Center
on Sunol Boulevard. The VFW, American Legion, Pleasanton
Military Families and others hold this annual event to pay
tribute not only to those who have sacrificed their lives in
defense of our country, but also to the hundreds of Pleasanton veterans and those still on active duty in the military from
our community, many in harm’s way in Afghanistan. Early
Monday, the Scouts will place flags on veterans buried at
Pioneer and St. Augustine Catholic cemeteries, also on Sunol
Boulevard just south of the Senior Center. It’s another place
for families to visit to honor the fallen.
Memorial Day was traditionally observed on May 30. But in
1968, the national holiday was moved to the last Monday in
May to create a convenient three-day weekend. Despite opposition, all 50 states, including California, began complying
with the change of date in the early 1970s. That change has no
doubt undermined the very meaning of Memorial Day, contributing to what we see today as the general public’s nonchalant
observance of Memorial Day. This weekend, which marks the
beginning of the busy summer season and school graduations,
has also become a time of retail sales specials, family get-aways
and backyard barbecues. Hopefully, we’ll find an hour or so to
join in Monday’s Memorial Day observance or at least remember to fly the flag outside our homes and businesses. N

LETTERS
Quack, quack
Dear Editor,
A big thank you to Kristen Hart
and Roy Fickens with the city of
Pleasanton’s Animal Control. They
were so kind and patient helping
rescue eight baby ducks from the
storm drain in front of our home.
Roy took them to the Lindsay
Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek
where they will be well cared for.
Our neighborhood is grateful for all
their assistance.
Marcia O’Neill

borhood place their trash cans on
the sidewalk on Sunday afternoon
in preparation for a Monday morning pickup. This of course blocks
pedestrian access to sidewalks and
forces pedestrians to unsafely venture out into the street or try to
squeeze by the cans.
I suspect I am not alone in my
safety concern, and wonder if this
might be an opportunity to raise
more community awareness to residents about this issue. A simple fix
would be to not put your cans on
the sidewalk, but put them in the
street instead. Or, simply don’t put
trash cans out before 8 p.m.
Craig Mynatt

What’s your opinion?
Write a Letter to the Editor at Editor@PleasantonWeekly.com or put
your opinion on Town Square at
www.PleasantonWeekly.com. Letters must be 250 words or less.

Taxpayers: Here we go again
It’s too early to know just how far two costly attorneys — one
from San Francisco and another from Oakland — plan to take
their threats of litigation against the city of Pleasanton over the
hillside protection ordinance called Measure PP, but their yetto-be identified (presumably) Pleasanton clients want to delay
and substantially change the measure before it becomes law.
Lawsuits over the ordinance and the demand that Measure PP
undergo a review under the California Environmental Quality
Act, or CEQA, will no doubt be costly for taxpayers who have
already paid millions of dollars in court costs, attorney fees and
penalties over land use legal decisions and settlements.
Tuesday, the City Council postponed until at least June 4 a
second and final reading of the Measure PP ordinance, which
would have buttoned up scores of public hearings, community
meetings and workshop discussions since Measure PP was
adopted by voters in November 2008. The delay came at the
advice of City Attorney Jonathan Lowell and City Manager
Nelson Fialho after they received letters from environmental
attorney Stuart Flashman of Oakland and Kristina Lawson,
representing the San Francisco law firm of Manatt, Phelps
& Phillips. It’s not clear who Lawson’s Pleasanton clients are,
although Flashman states that he represents “The Ridge &
Hillside Protection Association,” which he said is an unincorporated association of Pleasanton residents and taxpayers.
Basically, both law firms object to the Measure PP ordinance
because it “attempts to modify the (voter-approved) measure
without a vote of the people of Pleasanton.”
Fialho and Lowell argue that a legal analysis of the Measure
PP initiative before it went to voters determined that citizen
initiatives, such as Measure PP, are not subject to a CEQA
evaluation. Flashman counters, however, that so many changes
have been made to the measure since the 2008 vote that a full
environmental review is needed, and he’s prepared to go to
court to force that review. This could be another lengthy suit
that, win or lose, Pleasanton taxpayers will pay for. N

DOWNTOWN

ASSOCIATION

Visit Town Square at PleasantonWeekly.com
to comment on the editorial.
Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊU Page 11

COVER

Reporter Sierra Rhodes about to board “Witchcraft,” a B-24 from 1944 that flew 130 missions in World War II and is the only one of its kind still flying. Inside the airplanes that will be
part of the Wings of Freedom Tour 2013 this weekend are (clockwise from above left) the bomb bay of the Boeing B-17; a gun turret in the B-24; the bomb bay doors and catwalk in the
B-24; and the P-51 Mustang viewed from the B-24 in flight.

´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´´ ´ ´´ ´ ´ ´

Beware

the bomb bay
Flight on World War II bomber proves
to be adventurous, emotional —
and totally awesome
STORY & PHOTOS BY SIERRA RHODES

I have never considered myself an
adventurous person. I favor turn signals,
never go anywhere without a map and a
cell phone, and I’ve made it all the way to
23 without taking candy from a stranger.
To my surprise when asked if I wanted
to go on a flight in a World War II bomber,
rather than replying, “Are you crazy?!” I
said, “Sure, why not?” Those three simple
words haunted my dreams for weeks
before the flight. On the morning of my
adventure, they rang in my ears like some
sort of preemptive funeral dirge.
Kevin Ryan, a pilot who lives in Pleasanton and has been involved with the
Collings Foundation for more than 20
years, was waiting for my fellow journalistic lunatics and me last Wednesday at
the Livermore Municipal Airport. Kevin
looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
while I yearned for coffee, sleep and the
safety of solid ground.
The flight to Santa Barbara, where we
were to meet the bombers, was smooth
and beautiful. Kevin and his 1976 Cessna
182 delivered us safely to land, and I
tried not to appear too grateful to have
both feet solidly on pavement. As a person with mammalian vs. avian anatomy
and a morbid dread of falling from thousands of feet, I had no desire to challenge
Mother Nature by flying again so soon
after landing. That is, until I turned
around and saw the planes.

The Wings of Freedom tour was
ated as a flying testament to the br
and tenacity of the human spirit —
oring the flight crews, ground crews
workers who made and flew these b
ers as well as the people they so
to protect. I don’t think I unders
the significance of these planes and
experience until I was in their pres
Seeing them, I could understand
the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and
Consolidated B-24 Liberator were sa
be backbones of the American effo
World War II. They were daunting, h
bling, strangely beautiful and — to
awesome.
All my fears and adventureless
flew out the bomb bay. Suddenly I w
little kid going to Disneyland for the
time, running around and peering u
the giant machines, climbing in and
through every nook and cranny.
The greatest challenge of the
proved not to be gathering the cou
to fly — though my sense of self-pr
vation was still firmly against board
craft more than half a century old —
rather choosing which piece of histo
experience.
The P-51 Mustang, one of the
chines that perhaps turned the tid
WWII and whimsically was named “
Jane,” was unfortunately not an op
but that left two amazing aircraf

choose from. The most widely recognized
aircraft from WWII was the B-17 Flying
Fortress named “Nine-O-Nine,” and one
of only eight still in flying condition. The
1944 Consolidated Liberator, dubbed
“Witchcraft,” flew a record 130 missions
over Europe and is the only craft of its
kind still flying the world.
Riding in “Witchcraft,” the last of a
species, was too tempting to resist. Clambering through the same spaces as had
all those young soldiers was thrilling and
profoundly sad, knowing that with its
memories, triumphs and losses, “Witchcraft” would one day no longer take to
the sky.
After I signed my life away to the care
of the B-24 and her crew, there came
what I will call a prolonged anticipation
period — a very long wait. Three hours
later, “Witchcraft” returned from its local
flight and we boarded to make our journey to Monterey.
As each engine of the B-24 started up,
a cloud of smoke billowed out behind
the propellers, and my anxiety returned
with even more colorful death scenarios.
The force of the wind from the propellers
nearly knocked me over, ruining any attempts to look fearless and nonchalant.
Hauling camera case and purse on my
shoulder, I crawled up through the open
bomb bay doors and levered myself up
onto the catwalk. The catwalk between

the front and rear of the plane was little
more than a plank, half a foot wide with
few places to hold onto.
“Don’t step on the bomb bay doors.
They will open.” The words of the puckishly melodramatic crewman returned to
my mind as we passengers buckled ourselves into our seats. Inside, “Witchcraft”
was all sharp edges, narrow spaces and
a truly disturbing number of gaps in the
frame with views of the world below.
My hair whipped in front of my face
and tangled over my forehead even before takeoff, and as the B-24 taxied down
the runway and gathered speed for liftoff,
I held on for dear life. The wheels parted
ways with the ground, and I let loose an
embarrassing squeal, thankfully drowned
out by the roar of the four engines.
Shortly after takeoff a loud bell rang,
and we were free to wander. Once again
my fear was gone and I eagerly scrambled
to the waist guns and the open windows.
The view of the coastline was breathtaking, and though I tried to capture the
wonder with my camera, the pictures
hardly do it justice.
I slithered through the bomb bay,
balancing carefully on the catwalk and
hoping my typical clumsiness would
take a hiatus. I made it to the front of the
plane unscathed and crawled on hands
and knees into the gun turret. I couldn’t
get the grin off my face. The world was

sprawled below, and the waves looked
like splashes of blue and white paint.
The air was cold but bearable up at
1,500 feet, and I spent the hour-long
flight keeping myself warm by exploring
every part of the aircraft. I made a perch
in the tail turret, a place slightly sheltered
from the wind and with a clear view to
everything we were leaving behind. It
also afforded a clear shot to the P-51 that
danced and barrel rolled alongside of us
like a hyper little kid.
When we strapped back in for landing,
and when we finally disembarked, the
giant grin was still plastered to my face. I
didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay up
in the sky and make “Witchcraft” my new
home.
The Wings of Freedom Tour comes
to Livermore on Sunday with the P-51
Mustang, the B-17, and my dear partner
in flight, the B-24. The trip may seem
steep at $425 a pop, but I can safely say
that despite my reservations, there is no
experience like this one.
There was a moment on “Witchcraft”
when another passenger turned to me
with an expression of unparalleled joy
on her face. Her words as she spoke —
yelled — in my ear will stick with me for
a long time as a perfect summary of my
adventure: “Would you trade this for the
world?”
My answer: “Not for anything.” N

´ ´´ ´´ ´´ ´
Wings of Freedom
Tour 2013
WHAT: Ground tour and flights of
legendary World War II airplanes
WHO: The Collings Foundation
WHERE: Livermore Airport General Aviation
Terminal
WHEN: May 26-28
WALKING TOURS: $12 for adults; $6 for
children 12 and under for access to all of
the aircraft. No charge for WWII veterans.
FLIGHTS: Donations are $425 per person
aboard the B-17 or B-24. Flight experiences
take place before and after tours.
Call (978) 562-9182 for reservations.
MORE INFORMATION:
www.collingsfoundation.org

´ ´´ ´ ´´ ´´
Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊU Page 13

TriValley Life

PEOPLE AND LIFESTYLES
IN OUR COMMUNITY

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE VALLEY — MUSIC, THEATER, ART, MOVIES AND MORE

hoping
for a

A

hit

n Amador graduate is hoping to make it big time on the
small screen with an animated show premiering tomorrow on Nickelodeon.
The show is called “Sanjay and Craig,” about a boy and his
pet snake. It debuts in what’s been known for years as the
primo spot for cartoons — Saturday morning.
Jay Howell, a 1993 grad, is co-creator of the series.
“I’m also the art director here as well. That means I’m in
charge of how the show looks, all the characters and all that
stuff,” Howell said.
The hook of the show is that Sanjay and his friends know
Craig can talk, but none of the adults do.
Howell didn’t break into Nickelodeon the traditional way, by
approaching the network with an idea or a script.
“I took a different route than most people. I started doing stuff
with my partner Jim Dirschberger. We started making cartoons on our own and putting them on the Internet. I would
also make my own comics as well,” he said. “I think I have
a pretty fun sense of humor, doing it suited me pretty well.”
The network approached them after some of the animation
the two were doing drew their attention.
“They saw the cartoons Jim and I were doing,” Howell said.
“They asked, ‘Do you think you’d be interested in doing some
children’s cartoons?’”
He said “Sanjay and
Craig” was the first show
they pitched.
“Right away, they wanted to see some more,
so we pitched another
one, but they kept coming back to ‘Sanjay and
Craig,’” Howell said.
It’s not the first time
Howell’s work has appeared on Nickelodeon —
he was character designer
for the popular show
“Bob’s Burgers” — but it
is the first time he’s been Jay Howell works on digital animation
at the helm. He left “Bob’s for the show, which can be seen tomorBurgers” to work on the row morning at 10:30 a.m.
new show.
“Once they pick you up, they start paying you to do the pilot,
it’s called development,” he said. “Development is a very long road
to go down. It evolved all the way up to us writing the actual show,
and the characters still change a little bit. It’s an interesting process,
really. You have to show the network that you know the characters
and that you’ve developed them really strongly.”
Howell, who’s 38, describes himself as a late bloomer.
“I’m all self taught. Amador Valley High School was my last
art class — Mrs. (Evie) Moriguchi,” he said, adding that while he
wanted to be an artist, he really didn’t have a career path mapped
out. “I just wanted to draw and ride my skateboard and enjoy
life. I didn’t start getting my career together until I was 30.”
That’s not to say he hasn’t been doing art. Howell has had a
recent solo show of his work at FFDG gallery in San Francisco,
entitled “Enthusiastic Person,” as well as putting out zines, selfcreated magazines.
“It just started to work out about five years ago, I guess,” he
said.
He said “getting a TV show is pretty exciting,” but added it’s a lot

Page 14ÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊUÊPleasanton Weekly

BY GLENN
WOHLTMANN

NICKELODEON

of work to actually
make it happen.
About “Sanjay
and Craig,” he
said, “A lot of it
is derived from our
own childhoods, the
writers on the show.
They try to take real
childhood adventures
and move them onto
the cartoon screen.”
While presumably none
of them had a talking snake
as a friend, Howell described
that as the fun part of the show.
“Imagine if your best friend was
a talking snake — that’s the really cool
part. That’s where the fantasy comes into
the show,” he said.
Craig is also a master of disguise, and that plays a big part in
the debut, in which they break into a local hospital to see the
first ever butt transplant. That’s standard fare for Nickelodeon
these days: funny, a little twisted, and with a bit of an edge. These
aren’t your parents’ cartoons.
Nickelodeon has given “Sanjay and Craig” some time to build
an audience, with 20 half-hour shows slotted.
“It can take up to six months per show, so you’re working on
multiple shows at the same time,” Howell said.
Stylistically, he said, “We use a lot of hand-painted backgrounds. Our show has an early ’90s Nickelodeon feel to it, I try
to make it what I grew up on.”
A lot of animation these days is done in Korea, and Howell
went there to work with some of the overseas team.
But he spends much of his time, literally, at the drawing board.
“Basically, I’m drawing from morning to night every single
day,” Howell said.
Some of the actors lending their voices to the characters are well
known, including Linda Cardellini from “Mad Men,” Matt Jones from
“Breaking Bad” and Kunal Nayyar from “The Big Bang Theory.”
Howell, Dirschberger and Andreas Trolf are co-executive producers. The first episode airs at 10:30 a.m., tomorrow, May 25. N

Sanjay swings with his friend
Craig, a talking snake, on a new
Nickelodeon show co-created by
Pleasanton grad Jay Howell.

Amador alum’s
cartoon show
premieres
tomorrow on
Nickelodeon

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Pleasanton to hold Memorial Day
ceremony Monday
Morning event to include patriotic music, tribute to veterans
BY JEB BING

Pleasanton’s annual Memorial
Day observance will be held starting at 10:30 a.m. Monday in the
garden area just south of the Pleasanton Senior Center on Sunol Boulevard.
The event, hosted by the American Legion Pleasanton Post 237
with the assistance of the Veterans
of Foreign Wars Pleasanton Post
6298, honors all military veterans including those now on active
duty and especially those who died
while serving their country.
Parking and restrooms are available at the Senior Center.
A preliminary musical interlude
by the Pleasanton Community
Band under the direction of Bob
Williams will begin the ceremony
with the program of tributes to
start at 11 a.m.
The keynote speaker will be
Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, the commanding general of the California
National Guard.
Directly following the ceremony
will be a free barbecue at the Veterans Memorial Building at 301 Main
St. in downtown Pleasanton. Junior
and senior high school students
who won the Patriotic Essay contest
will be recognized at the barbecue.
The “Voice of Democracy” award
will be given to Sricharana Mup-

JEB BING

The Honor Guard arrives at last year’s Memorial Day observance at the Pleasanton Senior Center.

pidi, a senior at Amador Valley
High School who was also on the
school’s “We The People” civics
team that won second place in
national competition last month
in Washington, D.C. Nathaniel
Wong of St. Joachim School in
Hayward will receive the “Patriot
Pen” award.
Tomorrow morning, as the Me-

morial Day weekend begins, Pleasanton Scouts will place special
bronze grave markers with flags on
veteran graves in the city’s Pioneer
Cemetery and at the adjacent St.
Augustine Catholic Cemetery.
For more information, contact
Patrick Leary at (816) 225-1805, or
email commander.vfw6298@gmail.
com. N

Eagle Scouts Eric Hitchens, Jack
Finney and Matthew O’Neil
Three Foothill High seniors — Eric Hitchens, Jack Finney and Matthew
O’Neil — received their Eagle Scout Awards on April 28 in a Court of
Honor at St. Clare’s Episcopal Church. As members of Troop 908, the
boys journeyed through Scouting together starting in kindergarten when
they joined the same Tiger Cub den.
For his Eagle Scout project, Eric researched and planted 76 California
native plants behind the amphitheater at the Alviso Adobe Community Park, providing a more native habitat. Jack designed and constructed a weather station, compost bin and wheelchair-accessible
raised garden bed at Hearst Elementary. Matthew designed and installed flexible storage in the Foothill High band trailer and replaced
aging shelving used to store uniforms.

Perfect time for a pet
Adoption fees waived next weekend at animal shelters
BY DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI

Rosie looked sad and not just
because she’s a beagle. She was an
older dog with a skin condition,
and lived at Valley Humane Society
waiting for her forever home after
her first adoption didn’t work out.
Then last year at the Maddie’s
Fund adoption event, a couple with
a chihuahua mix came looking to
add to their family, and Rosie’s long
ears perked up. Sure enough, they
took her home.
“It was a match made in heaven,” said Melissa Adkins, marketing
and development manager at Valley
Humane Society. “I think the gal
was a school teacher so she would

VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY

Puddles, a 1-year-old gray tuxedo cat
who was rescued as part of a hoarding situation, is hoping to find a home
next weekend.

be home during the summer and
could get the animals accustomed
to each other.”
Valley Humane adopted out
about 70 dogs and cats last year
and very few were returned, Adkins said.
Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days are
scheduled again for the weekend of
June 1-2. The event started in the Bay
Area in 2010 and has found homes
for 6,722 shelter dogs and cats.
This year there will be more than
100 adoption locations throughout
the Bay Area, plus five communities across the country including
New York City for the first time,
with a goal of finding homes for
5,000 dogs and cats.
Some shelters in the East Bay,
including Valley Humane, also will
be at Stoneridge Shopping Center
to adopt out their dogs and cats.
Some people come to the event
pre-approved, and many look over
the adoptable pets the week before
either at the shelter or at valleyhumanesociety.org.
“Then it’s first come-first served,”
Adkins said. “There does tend to
be a line, particularly on Saturday
morning.”
“Last year we had every one up
on the website ahead of time,” she
added, noting that kittens may arrive at the last minute.
The adoptions are free during

the event.
“Normally it is $100 for cats or
$150 for dogs, but everyone goes
home fee-free,” Adkins said. “And
everybody’s going home with a
goodie bag — a catnip pillow or
leash or whatever.”
The University of Florida surveyed 1,928 adopters from Maddie’s pet adoption events and concluded that successful adoptions
do not require a fee; free adoption
promotions such as these can increase adoptions without compromising the quality of a pet’s life.
The shelters benefit from the
adoptions during the event, with
Maddie’s paying from $500-$2,000
per animal, depending on whether
they are a senior or have a medical
condition that makes them more
difficult to adopt.

Rosie the beagle joins her new family at the Valley Humane Society during last
year’s Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days.

“It goes all right back into our
programs,” Adkins said.
Valley Humane Society pulls
adoptable pets out of public shelters to find homes for them. VHS
is a no-kill shelter so once it takes
responsibility for an animal it
will find it a home as well as the
best medical care available, which
takes money.
Maddie’s Fund founders Cheryl
and Dave Duffield, who also started PeopleSoft and Workday, have
pledged $4 million to pay the
shelters for the adoptions during this year’s event; participating
groups have received $4.4 million
since 2010.
The Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days
are exciting for the shelter work-

ers, Adkins said, as they track each
other’s adoptions.
“It’s like a marathon, it’s really exciting to see,” Adkins said. “Throughout the day we sent them pictures
and our numbers on how many gone
out so far. They put them out on
Facebook and Twitter.”
She said Valley Humane Society
right now has more than 50 kittens
in foster care with the mama cats,
and more foster homes are needed,
in addition to people to adopt the
kittens — and the moms.
One danger of fostering is that
many end up adopting their first
charge.
“We call them foster failures,”
said Adkins with a laugh, admitting
that she was one. N

Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊU Page 15

ON THE
TOWN

AMERICAN

Eddie Papaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
American Hangout
4889 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton,
469-6266. Winner of The
Pleasanton Weeklyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Reader
Choice Awards for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best
American Food,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Meal
under $20â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Kid
Friendly Restaurant,â&#x20AC;? Eddie Papaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
American Hangout celebrates the
regional food and beverage cultures of America. Bring the whole
family to enjoy iconic dishes from
across the United States, Old
World Hospitality, and hand
crafted artisan cocktails.
www.eddiepapas.com.
To have your restaurant listed in
this dining directory, please call
the Pleasanton Weekly Advertising
Department at (925) 600-0840

ON THE TOWN â&#x2014;? CALENDAR

Book Clubs

GREAT BOOKS OF PLEASANTON The
Great Books of Pleasanton book
club meets at 7:30 p.m. the fourth
Monday monthly at Towne Center
Books, 555 Main St. Call Sadie at
846-1658.

the second Thursday of the month
at City Council Chamber, 200 Old
Bernal Ave.
SCHOOL BOARD The Pleasanton
Unified School District Board
meets at 7 p.m. on the second and
fourth Tuesday monthly during the
school year in the district office
board room, 4665 Bernal Ave.

Civic Meetings Classes
CITY COUNCIL The Pleasanton City
Council meets at 7 p.m. on the first
and third Tuesdays at City Council
Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave.
HOUSING COMMISSION The
Pleasanton Housing Commission
meets at 7 p.m. on the third
Thursday of the month at City
Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal
Ave.
HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION The
Human Services Commission meets
at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday
of the month at City Council
Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave.
PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION
The Pleasanton Parks & Recreation
Commission meets at 7 p.m. on

COMPUTER TUTORING Need help
with downloading E-books from
the library to your E-Reader, sending e-mail attachments, social
networking, blogging, general
Internet questions? Drop-in classes
are from 6-8 p.m. Thursdays at
the Pleasanton Public Library, 400
Old Bernal Ave. Call Mary Luskin
at 931-3400, ext. 7. Free and open
to all.

Clubs

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION The Jose Maria
Amador Chapter, Daughters of
the American Revolution, NSDAR,
meets at 10 a.m., the second
Saturday of each month Sept.
through May. It is a social gathering and time to explore the history of our American roots. For
more information contact the
chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regent Diane Groome at
dggroome@comcast.net.
DBE (DAUGHTERS OF THE BRITISH
EMPIRE) Welcome to ladies of
British or British Commonwealth
Heritage. DBE holds monthly

meetings at 11 a.m. on the third
Thursday at Castlewood Country
Club. Members focus on philanthropy, enjoy social interaction and
form long-lasting friendships while
contributing to local charities and
supporting retirement homes in the
USA. Call Edith at 998-3500.
PLEASANTON NEWCOMERS CLUB
This club is a great way for new
and established residents to make
new friends. It meets for coffee
on the first Wednesday of every
month and for lunch on the second Wednesday of every month.
The group has activities like hiking,
walking, Bunco and more. Visit
www.pleasantonnewcomers.com or
call Ruby M. at 462-6404.
ROTARY CLUB OF PLEASANTON
The Rotary Club of Pleasanton
since 1965 has been a leader in
the community in helping make
Pleasanton a great place to live.
It has a luncheon meeting from
12:15-1:30 p.m., every Thursday,
at Hapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant, 122 W. Neal
St., Pleasanton. Cost for lunch is
$17. For information, visit www.
PleasantonRotary.org.
ROTARY CLUB OF PLEASANTON
NORTH Pleasanton North Rotary
invites anyone interested in making a difference. The membership
includes 65 professionals, business
owners, executives, managers and
community leaders. The club meets
from 12:15-1:30 p.m. Fridays at
the Hilton Hotel, 7050 Johnson Dr.
Call 580-7947 or visit www.pnrrotary.org.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;SONGS OF RIVER AND SEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Baritone
Kurt Haller and pianist Daniel
Lockert will present a program of
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Songs of River and Seaâ&#x20AC;? featuring
John Masefieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maritime verse,
from 4-5:30 p.m., Friday, June 2, at
St. Claireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 3350 Hopyard Road.
Reception will follow. Contact
Margaret at (415) 722-0488 or
margaret.secour@gmail.com.
BROADWAY STAR OF â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;WICKEDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
DAVID BURNHAM David Burnham,
star of Broadwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wicked,â&#x20AC;? will
perform songs from many of his
roles from 8-10 p.m., Saturday,
June 8, at Firehouse Arts Center,
4444 Railroad Ave. Cost is $15$25. Call 931-4848 or go to www.
firehousearts.org.

ON THE TOWN â&#x2014;? CALENDAR
JUICE NEWTON AT FIREHOUSE
ARTS CENTER â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Girlâ&#x20AC;? and
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Angel of the Morningâ&#x20AC;? artist Juice
Newton brings her trio show to
Pleasanton at 8 p.m., Friday, May
31, at Firehouse Arts Center, 4444
Railroad Ave. Cost is $40-$50.
Tickets available at www.firehousearts.org or 931-4848.
STARS OF THE FUTURE: HARP
COMPETITION WINNERS RECITAL The
winners of the prestigious Northern
California Harp Competition will
be in concert with special guest
artist Seika Dong from 2-5 p.m.,
Sunday, June 2, at Firehouse Arts
Center, 4444 Railroad Ave. Cost is
$10-$20. Call 931-4848 or go to
www.firehousearts.org.
SWINGINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BLUE STARS OF THE USS
HORNET Four vocalists plus a big
band present a special musical
tribute to the Armed Forces swingstyle at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 26,
at Firehouse Arts Center, 4444
Railroad Ave.. Cost is $12-$25,
child/senior/group discounts available. Tickets available at www.firehousearts.org, or 931-4848.

Events

ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY
OBSERVANCE Pleasantonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free
annual Memorial Day observance,
hosted by American Legion Post
237, will begin with music at 10:30
a.m. and the program at 11 a.m.,
Monday, May 27, at the Pleasanton
Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd.
Contact Patrick Leary at (816)
225-1805 or email commander.
vfw6298@gmail.com.
BREAKFAST/LUNCH IN SAN RAMON
The Widow and Widowers of
Northern California invite you to join
a Breakfast/Lunch at noon, Sunday,
May 26, at Clementineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 18070 San
Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon.
RSVP to Marsha at 830-8483 or hskoog@comcast.net by May 23.
FARMERS MARKET Visit the
Pleasanton Farmers Market from 9
a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday, on East
Angela Street between Main and First
streets. The Farmers Market is open
every Saturday, year-round, rain or
shine, to provide the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshest fruits and vegetables, sold by the
very farmers that planted, nurtured
and harvested the crop.
GET YOUR ART THING HAPPENING
Come to downtown Livermore for
Art Happens, 6-9 p.m., the second
Thursday each month, at Bothwell
Arts Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Downtown Art Studios,
62 South L St., Livermore. Download
maps at www.bothwellartscenter.org.
Contact 447-2787 or info@bothwellartscenter.org.
GIRLS NIGHT OUT NETWORKING IS
TURNING 5 Join the fun as GNON
celebrates 5 years, from 5-8 p.m.,
Thursday, June 4, at Girasole Grill
Restaurant, 3180 Santa Rita Road.
Cost is $10 for members, $15 for
non-members. RSVP by June 1 to
gnoners@gmail.com. Visit www.
gnontrivalley.com.
GOODGUYS 20TH SUMMER GETTOGETHER Specialty Sales Classics
presents the Goodguys 20th
Summer Get-Together, featuring
over 2,500 show cars, great food
and more, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Saturday-Sunday, June 1-2, at
Alameda County Fairgrounds. Cost

is $17 adults, $6 kids. Contact
838-9876 or info@good-guys.com,
or go to www.good-guys.com.
JUNE TEA DANCE Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post 6298 proudly
presents the June Tea Dance with
live music, from 1-3:15 p.m.,
Wednesday, June 12, at Veterans
Hall, 301 Main St. Donation of $7
includes a light lunch. Proceeds
used to help veterans and their
families. Contact 443-222 or
Joephylb@att.net.
LUNCH IN PLEASANTON The Widow
and Widowers of Northern
California invite you to join for
lunch at noon, Wednesday, May
29, at Voodoo Kitchen, 6654 Koll
Center Pkwy., Suite 300. RSVP to
David at 833-7647 or hskoog@
comcast.net by May 27.
MADDIEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PET ADOPTION DAYS
Come find your forever furry friend
at Maddieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pet Adoption Days,
from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, June 1,
and Sunday, June 2. Free adoptions
offered to qualified adopters at more
than 100 Bay Area locations. Visit
http://adopt.maddiesfund.org.
NIGHT AT THE IMPROV Join San
Ramon Improv U 8 p.m., Friday,
May 24 for an interactive evening
of improvisational comedy at Front
Row Theater, 17011 Bollinger
Canyon Road, San Ramon. Must
be over 18. Tickets are $10. Call
973-3343 or visit www.sanramonperformingarts.com.
PLEASANTONIANS 4 PEACE
Pleasantonians 4 Peace sponsors
a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. the
second Wednesday of the month in
front of the Museum on Main, 603
Main St. The group reflects on the
human and monetary costs of the
war, honors veterans who have sacrificed, and visualizes ways of moving beyond this conflict to a more
peaceful world. They plan to continue this monthly event as long as
necessary. Contact Cathe Norman
at 462-7495; Matt Sullivan at
mjs7882@gmail.com; or visit www.
Pleasantonians4Peace.org.
TEDXLIVERMORE CREATING OUR
FUTURE Come to TEDxLivermoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Creating Our Future: Innovate
+ Educate,â&#x20AC;? a presentation of
evolving education and vocation in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technological
world, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday,
June 8, at Las Positas College,
Livermore. Cost is $75. Go to www.
TEDxLivermore.com.
VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GREAT
CATSBY Enjoy an unforgettable
evening of food, music, dancing
and gambling with a Roaring â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;20s
theme and music by the CoolTones
at the Valley Humane Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Great Catsby, from 6-10:30 p.m.,
Saturday, July 27, at the Veteranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Memorial Building, 301 Main St.
Cost is $65, or $100 with poker.
Contact Melanie Sadek at 4268656 or msadek@valleyhumane.org

Exhibits

PERSPECTIVES ON MOUNT DIABLO
This new exhibit explores the fascinating, diverse qualities and intriguing history of Mount Diablo, April
27-June 30, at the Museum of the
San Ramon Valley located in the
old train depot at 205 Railroad
Ave., Danville. Contact 837-3750

FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION HOOK
AND LADDER RUN Livermore-

or srvmuseum@sbcglobal.net.

Film

MAKE â&#x20AC;&#x2122;EM LAUGH: â&#x20AC;&#x153;ANNIE HALLâ&#x20AC;?
Las Positas College presents
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Annie Hallâ&#x20AC;? with film historian
Dr. Candace Klaschus at 7 p.m.,
Thursday, June 6, at the Pleasanton
Public Library, 400 Old Bernal Ave.
See you at the movies!

Fundraisers

CELEBRATING OUR STARS GALA
AND AUCTION Join Hospice of the
East Bay for the Celebrating Our
Stars Gala and Auction at 6 p.m.,
Saturday, June 1, at Diablo Country
Club, 1700 Clubhouse Road,
Diablo. For more information, visit
hospiceeastbay.org.
CORKS AND CAPES Help fund Kiss
the Toad Creations for true super
heroes, children battling life-threatening illness, at Corks and Capes,
6:30-9:30 p.m., Wednesday, June
5, at Wedgewood Banquet Center,
9430 Fircrest Ln., San Ramon. Cost
is $30. Register by May 31 at www.
kissthetoadcreations.com.

Pleasanton Firefighters Foundation
will host the Hook and Ladder
Run on Sunday, June 2, at Wente
Vineyards, 5050 Arroyo Road,
Livermore. The event benefits the
Burn Foundation and other charities
in the Tri-Valley. Cost is $37 adults,
$15 kids. Go to www.onyourmarkevents.com.
PANCAKE BREAKFAST TO BENEFIT
SERVICE MEMBERS The Pleasanton
Veterans of Foreign Wars and other
service clubs will host a free pancake breakfast to raise donations
for the Pleasanton Military Families
Support Group. Breakfast will be
served between from 8:30-11:30
a.m., Saturday, June 8. Call Doug
Miller at 998-9905.
SLEEP TRAINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CLOTHING DRIVE FOR
FOSTER KIDS Sleep Train is hosting its annual Clothing Drive, now
through Sunday, June 23. Drop off
donations of new clothing in all
sizes at any Sleep Train location.
For more information on the location of the nearest store, visit sleeptrain.com.

Health

CANCER SURVIVORS INVITED TO
CELEBRATION OF LIFE Cancer survivors and their caregivers are invited
to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Celebrate Our Future Birthdays
with Humor and Hope.â&#x20AC;? Rakesh
Patel, M.D., radiation oncologist,
will present â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good News about
Cancer Survival,â&#x20AC;? and Michael
Pritchard, comedian, will present
â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Dose of Laughter,â&#x20AC;? from 7-9
p.m., Wednesday, June 12, at Faz
Restaurant, 5121 Hopyard Road.
Space is limited. RSVP by June 7 to
934-7640, ext. 305, or juliane.lee@
cancer.org.
DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES San Ramon
Regional Medical Center now
offers a two-part educational series
on Diabetes Self-Management
for adults. Classes are being held
monthly throughout 2013 on
Saturdays or weekdays in the West
Day Room in the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South
Building, 7777 Norris Canyon Rd.,
San Ramon. Part one classes: 1-4
p.m., Wednesday, June 12; 9 a.m.noon, Saturday, July 13; 1-4 p.m.,
Thursday, Oct. 3; and 9 a.m.-noon,

THE PLACE to Shop for Vintage, Retro & Antique
)PNF%FDPSt'VSOJUVSFt$MPUIJOH
+FXFMSZt1BJOUJOHTt#PPLTt"OZUIJOH$PMMFDUJCMF

on the second Wednesday and
Thursday of every month; Open
Practice on the third Wednesday
and Thursday of every month;
Advanced E-mail on the fourth
Wednesday and Thursday of every
month, at the Adult Computer
Area in the library, 400 Old Bernal
Ave. Computer classes are designed
for mature adults. Registration is
required; call 931-3400.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

FREE MEMORY SCREENING FOR
SENIORS Caring Solutions is sponsoring free memory assessment on
the fourth Thursday of the month
at the Dublin Senior Center, 7600
Amador Valley Blvd. Call 5564511 for a 30-minute appointment. Preregister by the Monday
prior to reserve an appointment.
Informational materials are available at the Senior Center.

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE
BLIND Tri-Valley Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind
will be meeting from 1-3 p.m.,
second Saturday of each month at
Valley Memorial Hospital, 1111 E.
Stanley Blvd., Livermore. Any visually impaired or blind person is urged
to attend. Call Carl at 449-9362.

Holiday

PICNIC IDEAS FOR HOLIDAYS
AND ANYDAY Come by New Leaf
Community Market and discover
the many products available for
your Memorial Day picnic, from
Noon-3 p.m., Saturday, May 25, at
6550 Bernal Ave. Call Emily at 6217660, ext. 120.

Kids & Teens

ADOBE BRICK MAKING Come
learn how our historic adobe
was constructed and make one
of your own to take home, 1-2
p.m., Saturday, May 25, at Alviso
Adobe Community Park, 3465 Old
Foothill Road. Ages 6-12. Cost is
$5. Preregistration required at www.
pleasantonfun.com using the code
54778. Call 931-3483 for details.
ALL ABOUT ANIMALS Discover the
wonderful world of pets during
a week-long camp full of stories,
games and crafts, from 9 a.m.noon, Monday, June 24-Friday, June
28, at Valley Humane Society, 3670
Nevada St. Cost is $250, snack provided. Ages 7-8. Contact 426-8656,
ext. 13, or sreed@valleyhumane.org.
FIFE & DRUM CORPS Pleasantonarea youths (ages 8-17) are
invited to join the 1776-era
Young American Patriots Fife &
Drum Corps of Pleasanton. This
3-year-old band has performed at
more than 30 events. Visit www.
youngamericanpatriots.com.

TV Summer Camp adds a session
Due to the overwhelming response, Tri-Valley TV is offering a third TV Summer Camp session, being held 9 a.m.-1
p.m. Aug. 12-16. The fee is $495, and it is open to middle and high school students entering grades 6-12.
“Since we have such a large standby list, it is our pleasure to offer yet another TV Video Camp,” said Tri-Valley TV
Executive Director Melissa Tench-Stevens. “To insure your spot, sign up quickly for the remaining openings.”
Now in its ﬁfth year, the day camp includes an introduction to studio production, ﬁeld production, writing, producing and digital video editing. Participants produce a TV program that will air on TV30.
The camp is located at the Tri-Valley Community Television Studios of TV28, TV29 and TV30 on the grounds of
the Pleasanton Uniﬁed School District, 4663 Bernal Ave. For more information visit www.trivalleytv.org or call the
station at 462-3030.

Water Shrubs”; May 11, “Selecting
Ornamental Grasses”; and June 8,
“Attracting Honeybees.” All talks
are 10-11 a.m. and are free.

Miscellaneous

9 a.m., the VFW and American
Legion host coffee and donuts
for all veterans at the Veterans
Memorial Building, 301 Main St.
All veterans are welcome. Visit
www.vfwpost6298.com.

‘LAWYERS IN THE LIBRARY’ Members
of the Alameda County Bar
Association visit the Pleasanton
Public Library on the third Tuesday
of each month to give free 15 to 20
minute consultations. Appointments
are by lottery. Register from 5:305:45 p.m.; names will be selected
at 5:50 p.m. and people must be
present when names are drawn.
Appointments begin at 6 p.m. and
end at 8 p.m. Call 931-3400, ext. 7.

On Stage

FREE JOB SEARCH COUNSELING The
Pleasanton Public Library, 400 Old
Bernal Ave., offers free, 20-minute
consultations with an employment
recruiter. To make an appointment,
call the Reference Desk at 9313400, ext. 7.

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY ONLINE
BOOK SALE Did you know you
could buy books from the Friends
of the Library at Amazon.com?
The Friends have a year round
magazine and paperback book sale
in the library and have two major
book sales a year. To buy books,
visit www.amazon.com/shops/
ptwnfriends or call Nancy Bering at
462-4368.
VETERANS FOR PEACE The new East
Bay Chapter, No. 162, of Veterans
for Peace meets at 10 a.m. the
second Saturday of each month
at 6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland.
All veterans are welcome. To learn
more about the monthly meetings,
call Fred at 462-7495.
VFW-AL COFFEE AND DONUTS
Every Saturday morning from 7:30-

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Join a naturalist/photographer as he leads you
on a photographic journey off the
beaten path, 4-5:30 p.m., Saturday,
May 25, at Augustin Bernal Park,
8200 Golden Eagle Way. Ages 12
and up. Cost is $5. Register at
www.pleasantonfun.com with code
54766. Contact 931-3483.
THURSDAY BIKE RIDE Everyone
is invited to join the Pleasanton
Pedalers Cyclers on Feb. 7 for a 15to 25-mile no-drop ride. The ride will
be at a “social” pace and include a

stop for coffee and talk along the
way. The group will meet in the
parking lot of the Pleasanton Senior
Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd., at 9 a.m.
each Thursday, weather permitting.
For details, contact Steve McGinnis
at 200-3190 or PleasantonPedalers@
bikerider.com. Free.

Scholarships

CULTURE TO CULTURE FOUNDATION
SCHOLARSHIP Culture to Culture
is sponsoring a Mental Health
Essay Scholarship to high school
students of all grade levels. Write
up to 1,000 words about the
topic: “What is the No. 1 mental
health issue affecting me and/or
my friends.” Deadline is May 31.
Selected winners will receive $500
scholarships. Email questions and
submissions to C2C@culturetoculture.org. For more information,
visit culturetoculture.org

Seniors

BRAIN MATTERS Enjoy a morning of fun while learning how to
keep your brain active and your
memory sharp. The class is held
from 10-11:30 a.m. the first and
third Fridays of every month at the
Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353
Sunol Blvd. Word games, puzzles,
challenging activities, reminiscing and more, geared to help you
age-proof your mind. Cost $1.75
for resident and $2.25 for non-resident. Call 931-5365 or visit www.
pleasantonseniorcenter.org.
COMPUTER CLASSES FOR SENIORS
Pleasanton Public Library hosts
Computer Classes for Seniors
including Beginning Internet on
the first Wednesday and Thursday
of every month; Beginning E-mail

PEDDLER SHOPPE AT THE SENIOR
CENTER The Peddler Shoppe in the
lobby of the Pleasanton Senior
Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd., offers the
handmade wares of talented local
senior artisans. It’s a great place to
buy gifts. The Shoppe is staffed by
volunteers and is open to the public
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through
Friday; 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday
evenings; and 9 a.m. to noon on the
second Saturday monthly.
TRANSCRIBING FOR YOU
Transcribing for You has volunteers that will transcribe and print
your letters to be sent. The service
is located at the Dublin Senior
Center, 7600 Amador Valley Blvd,
Dublin, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The
cost is $1.50. Call 556-4511 for an
appointment or email seniorctr@
ci.dublin.us
WALKING SOLE MATES Join the
Pleasanton Senior Center as we
kick off our new walking group.
Get out and meet new people while
walking the Marilyn Murphy Kane
Trail with them. Meet at the staging area or register to ride over on
Paratransit. For more information
please contact the Senior Center
front desk at 931-5365. 8:45-11
a.m. Wednesdays Free. Pleasanton
Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd.,
Pleasanton. 931-535. www.pleasantonseniorcenter.org
WANTED: SENIOR CITIZEN POKER
PLAYERS Drop in to the Pleasanton
Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd.,
from 12:30-3:30 p.m. every
Tuesday and Thursday to make
new friends and have a friendly
poker game. Small fee required.
Ask about it at the front desk, or
call Yvonne or Dan at 846-1555 for
details.

Spiritual

BIBLE & BREW St. Clare’s Episcopal
Church would like to invite anyone
in the community who is interested
to join them for heartfelt fellowship, Bible Study, and a good cup
of coffee from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
every Wednesday at 3350 Hopyard
Rd. You don’t need to be a member
of St. Clare’s to attend. Their hope
is you will find this time of day
convenient. Call the church office
at 462-4802 or visit www.stclarespleasanton.org.
FALL WORSHIP TIMES Sunday
worship services resume their fall
schedule at Lynnewood United

ON THE TOWN ● CALENDAR
Methodist Church at 9 a.m. and
10:30 a.m. Sunday school is at
10:30 a.m. and childcare is at both
services. Children’s choirs meet
every Sunday from 11:40 a.m.12:10 p.m. Call 846-0221 or visit
www.lynnewood.org.
WEEKLY LDS BIBLE STUDY Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
hosts a weekly bible study from
7:30-8:30 p.m. every Wednesday at
the church, 6100 Paseo Santa Cruz.
Refreshments served. For information, call 305-9468.

Sports

BOYS LACROSSE SUMMER LEAGUE
Pleasanton Lacrosse Club Summer
League boys U9-U15 will have
practice and instruction at 6 p.m.
every Thursday and games on
Sunday mornings, June 20-July 28.
Contact 353-6503 or Information@
PleasantonLacrosse.com, or go to
www.pleasantonlacrosse.com.
BOYS RECREATIONAL SOCCER
REGISTRATION Register for Ballistic
United Boys Recreational Soccer.
All boys ages 4-18 are welcome.
Visit www.busc.org or register in
person at the BUSC Office, 275
Rose Ave., Ste. 209 in downtown
Pleasanton, from 9 a.m.-noon
Monday and Wednesday; or 1-4
p.m. Thursday.
RAGE SOCCER REGISTRATION
Registration is now open for Fall
Rec Season for girls U5/U6 to U19
with RAGE soccer. New programs to
enhance the recreational soccer experience include free coaching education and reduced fees for U5/U6-U7.
Register at www.pleasantonRAGE.
org. Early bird discount by May 31.

Support
Groups

BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
The American Cancer Society
Breast Cancer Support group meets
from 7:30-9 p.m. on the second
and fourth Tuesday of every month
at LifeStyleRx, 1111 E. Stanley
Blvd., Livermore. Call 833-2784 or
visit www.valleycare.com. 7:30-9
p.m. Free

like doctors or specialists. For more
information, call JoAnne at 8750960.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

WIDOWS/WIDOWERS GRIEF
RECOVERY Have you or someone
you know experienced the death of
a spouse recently or within the last
few years? Sharing their experiences
during this 10-week class is helpful
to their healing process. The class
is from 7-9 p.m., Wednesdays,
June 26 through Sept. 4, at Valley
Community Church, 4455 Del Valle
Parkway, Pleasanton. Find hope,
support and successful ways to
process this significant life event.
Pre-Registration required. Call 8339013 or visit www.calleycommunitychurch.org.

‘A Passionate Afternoon’
of opera
Livermore Valley Opera is presenting “A Passionate
Afternoon” tomorrow, beloved arias performed by
professional opera singers baritone Roberto Perlas
Gomez, mezzo soprano Betany Cofﬂand and tenor
Michael Dailey accompanied by Livermore Valley
Opera Artistic Director Alexander Katsman at 2
p.m. at the Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad
Ave. An artists reception will follow immediately.
Cost is $10-$25. Call 931-4848 or go to www.ﬁrehousearts.com. Patrons are invited to come early
and browse through the Harrington Art Gallery.
CLUTTERLESS SELF HELP GROUP
Overwhelmed by clutter? Learn
how to deal with it by attending
this Non profit Self Help Support
group, which meets from 7-8:30
p.m. every Monday (except some
holidays) at St. Mary & St. John
Coptic Orthodox Church, 4300
Mirador Dr., Rm. 7. Donation
requested $2-$5. Call 200-1943 or
visit www.clutterless.org.
EAST BAY ESSENTIAL TREMOR
SUPPORT GROUP If you have recently been diagnosed with ET or would
like to learn more about this common movement disorder in a safe
and supportive environment, please
join us from 10 a.m.-noon on the
third Saturday of each month, in
the Blackhawk A and B conference
rooms at San Ramon Regional
Medical Center, 6001 Norris
Canyon Rd. For more information,
view their blog at www.eastbayet.
com or call 487-5706 or email
eastbayet@comcast.net.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR
MENTAL ILLNESS (NAMI) NAMI
Tri-Valley Parent Resource and
Support Group meets twice a
month for parents with children
to age 17 diagnosed or suspected
of having bipolar or other mood
disorders. It meets from 7-9 p.m.
the first and third Tuesdays of each
month at Pathways To Wellness,
5674 Stoneridge Dr., Suite 114,
Pleasanton. The group is drop-in,
no registration required and is free.
For more information contact Suzi
Glorioso at 443-1797 or email glorios4@comcast.net.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP Caring
for a loved one is challenging physically and emotionally. Join this support group to explore resources and
generate problem solving ideas from
1-3 p.m., on the second Monday
of every month at 5353 Sunol Blvd.
Get the support you deserve at the
Senior Support Program of the TriValley. Call 931-5389.

PET LOSS Hope Hospice is holding
drop-in groups for adults to provide a way to explore grief in a safe
and supportive manner. Sessions
will be 7-8:30 p.m. on 2nd and 4th
Monday of each month, at 6377
Clark Ave., Ste 100, Dublin. Call
829-8770.

CHILD LOSS Hope Hospice is holding eight-week sessions to provide
a way to explore grief in a safe and
supportive environment. Sessions
will be held 7-8:30 p.m., Mondays,
May 6-July 1, at 6377 Clark Ave.,
Ste 100, Dublin. Call 829-8770.

PLEASANTON MILITARY FAMILIES
SUPPORT GROUP Formed in 2003
this group provides support and
comfort to the Pleasanton families
whose loved ones are deployed in
the combat zones of Afghanistan
and Iraq. The group has monthly

CLOCK REPAIR

Timely Service

Free Estimates
Free Pick-up & Delivery in Tri-Valley

Byfield’s Clock Shop Call (925) 736-9165

Roberto
Perlas Gomez

Betany
Coffland

meetings and other events such as
“pack outs” of comfort and care
items for deployed members of the
armed forces. The group also sponsors the Yellow Streamer program
on Main Street where streamers are
displayed with the name, rank and
branch of service of Pleasanton military personnel. Learn more at www.
pleasantonmilitaryfamilies.org.
SPOUSAL/PARTNER LOSS Hope
Hospice is holding free eight-week
sessions to provide a way to explore
grief in a safe and supportive environment. Sessions include sharing,
coping strategies, exploring memories and discovering hope and finding meaning. Sessions will be held
from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays, May
2-June 20, at 6377 Clark Ave., Ste.
100, Dublin. Call 829-8770 or visit
www.hopehospice.com.

Michael
Dailey

TRAGIC LOSS Hope Hospice is providing drop-in support groups for
adults to explore grief in a safe and
supportive environment. Sessions
6:30-8 p.m., on the 1st Monday of
the month, at 6377 Clark Ave., Ste
100, Dublin. Call 829-8770.
TRANSITIONS Hope Hospice is holding 8-week sessions to explore grief
in a safe and supportive environment. Sessions will be held 11 a.m.12:30 p.m., Tuesdays, May7-June
25, at 6377 Clark Ave., Ste 100,
Dublin. Call 829-8770.
TRI VALLEY SUPPORT GROUP FOR
FIBROMYALGIA, LUPUS AND ALL
FORMS OF ARTHRITIS This group
meets from 6:30-8 p.m., on the
fourth Monday of every month,
at the Groves at Dublin Ranch in
the Clubhouse, 3115 Finnian Way,
Dublin. It hosts special speakers

Volunteering

ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIR NEEDS
VOLUNTEERS Each year, volunteers
help to make the Fair the success it
is, and the 101st annual Fair needs
you. Individuals, companies and
organizations welcome. Interested
volunteers can email Jamie Osborn
at josborn@alamedacountyfair.com.
LIONESS SEEK NEW MEMBERS The
Livermore Lioness Club welcomes
new members at its regular monthly meeting on the first Tuesday
of each month, at 6:30 p.m. A
$2 to $5 donation is requested.
Participating in the many activities
of the group is a great way to meet
local people. The Lioness are a
service club which helps many worthy causes in our community. Call
443-4543.

Staying Healthy

& Beautiful 2013

Our readers want to look,
feel and be their very best.
Market your services
in print and online to thousands
of readers
throughout the 680 corridor!
Print: 16,000
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June 7, 2013
publication
Ad Copy Deadline:
May 31, 2013

Community Pulse
Man dead in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;freak accidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on I-580
Pipe smashes through windshield, impales victim
A man was killed when a metal pipe came crashing
through his windshield as he drove on Interstate 580
in the Livermore area Wednesday morning, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.
Ă&#x160; /Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;VÂ&#x2C6;`iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x153;>Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x20AC;iÂŤÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;i`Ă&#x160;Ă&#x153;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160;Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;iĂ&#x160;,Â&#x153;>`Ă&#x160;
at 8:11 a.m.
The 33-year-old man was driving west on the
highway when the metal pipe flew through the windshield of his 2003 white Volvo XC70 and impaled
him, CHP Officer Tyler Hahn said.
The Volvo veered left into the center divider, went
up an embankment and came to rest. The CHP arrived to find the driver deceased inside the vehicle
and the engine still running, Hahn said.
Hahn described the pipe as about 2 feet in length
and 2 inches in diameter. He said it is not clear where
it came from.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;No witnesses saw it bouncing down the road, nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called in to say that they lost anything of this
sort,â&#x20AC;? he said.
Hahn said it appears to be a type of pipe used to
help secure loads on large trucks.
The victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name has not been released but Hahn
Ă&#x192;>Â&#x2C6;`Ă&#x160; Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160; Â&#x201C;>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160; LiĂ&#x160; vĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160; ,Â&#x153;VÂ&#x17D;Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160; >Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x160; Â&#x2DC;i>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160; ->VĂ&#x20AC;>mento.
Hahn called the case â&#x20AC;&#x153;completely a freak accidentâ&#x20AC;?
and said it â&#x20AC;&#x153;literally is being in the wrong place at the
wrong time.â&#x20AC;?
No one else was in the Volvo at the time, and no
other injuries were reported. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the CHP at 828-0466
and ask for either Hahn or Officer Azevedo.
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bay City News

YOUR ONLINE NEWS SOURCE
AND COMMUNITY FORUM
Our website has become the place residents turn to for breaking local
news, to post their own stories and photos, and to discuss news and
events in the community.
UĂ&#x160;NEWS updated 5 days
a week
UĂ&#x160;MOVIES reviews & local
showtimes
UĂ&#x160;FOGSTER free online
classiďŹ eds
UĂ&#x160;TOWN SQUARE voice
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UĂ&#x160;COMMUNITY
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UĂ&#x160;OBITUARIES submit a
memorial
UĂ&#x160;RECENT ISSUES digital
copies of each edition

By Glenn Wohltmann, gwohltmann@pleasantonweekly.com

POLICE BULLETIN
Police seek charges
in hotel fraud
The Pleasanton Police Department is asking the District Attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office to file charges in
a May 20 case in which a woman
racked up $1,300 in charges at
the Hilton Hotel, then left without paying.
The incident at the hotel, in the
7000 block of Johnson Drive, was
reported at 11:58 a.m.
In other police reports:
UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192;Â&#x2C6;`iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160;Ă&#x2021;Ă¤Ă¤Ă&#x160;LÂ?Â&#x153;VÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160;-Ă&#x152;Â°Ă&#x160;
Michael Circle reported that someone had opened five charge accounts in his name and charged
nearly $1,200 to them. The charges
were made between May 5 and
May 18, but the resident originally

POLICE REPORT
The Pleasanton Police Department made
the following information available.

thought he was receiving junk mail
and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t open the first bills he
received.
UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160;LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;}Â?>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;`Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x160;LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;
>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160; >Â?Â?Â&#x201C;>Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x17D;Ă&#x160; -Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160; ÂŁĂ&#x2021;Ă¤Ă¤Ă&#x160;
LÂ?Â&#x153;VÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160; ->Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;>Ă&#x160; ,Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;>Ă&#x160; ,Â&#x153;>`Ă&#x160; Â&#x2DC;iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x152;i`Ă&#x160;
collectibles valued at $690. The
Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2022;iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160; -Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x160;
Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2DC;iĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x160; vÂ&#x2C6;}ures were reported stolen at about
2:27 p.m. May 20.
UĂ&#x160; Ă&#x160; Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192;Â&#x2C6;`iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160; Ă&#x2C6;Ă¤Ă¤Ă&#x160; LÂ?Â&#x153;VÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x160;
Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160;
Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x203A;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160; -Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;iiĂ&#x152;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x20AC;iÂŤÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;i`Ă&#x160; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;
someone in the Las Vega area had
made seven charges on her credit
card, totaling more than $257.
The woman reported the identity
theft at about 11:15 a.m. May 1.
UĂ&#x160; *Â?i>Ă&#x192;>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160; ÂŤÂ&#x153;Â?Â&#x2C6;ViĂ&#x160; Â&#x201C;>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160; Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x160; >Ă&#x160;
suspect in a felony fraud reported
at about 12:06 p.m. May 19. No
other information about the fraud
was available.
Under the law, those arrested
are considered innocent until convicted.

TO RESPOND TO ADS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBERS GO TO FOGSTER.COM
CASH FOR CARS
Any Car/Truck. Running or Not! Top
Dollar Paid. We Come To You! Call For
Instant Offer: 1-888-420-3808 www.
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BULLETIN
BOARD
115 Announcements
Adoptions/Surrogacy
Help build families and change a
couples life by becoming a surrogate
mother or egg donor. CONTACT:
Surrogate Mothers, Inc. 317-996-2000.
www.surrogatemothers.com (Cal-SCAN)
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Moms/Daughters- $ Stanford
Stanford University's Psychology
Department is currently seeking mothers with a history of depression and
their 10 to 14-year-old daughters for
a paid research study at Stanford.
Following a 20-30 minute phone screening interview, eligible participants will be
asked to come to Stanford University
for up to 3 sessions, each lasting
approximately 3.5 hours. Eligible pairs
will be compensated $40/hour and
researchers will schedule sessions at
your convenience: evenings and weekend sessions are available. For more
information, please email or call Maria
Lemus at mood@psych.stanford.edu or
(650) 723-0804.

140 Lost & Found
Lost Camera
A Canon Powershot camera may have
been lost along Embarcadero Road on
the afternoon of Saturday May 4, 2013.
The camera was in a blue and black
case (the same size as the camera:
roughly fist sized), with many small
black rocks inside the front pouch. If
anyone found this camera it would be
greatly appreciated if you could contact
Eric Smith by using the following email:
EWSmith8@aol.com. Thank you!

210 Garage/Estate
Sales
PA: Citywide Yard Sale, June 8
Helping the environment and making money has never been so easy.
Reusing - whether you donate, buy,
or sell - is one of the best ways to
reduce waste and keep usable stuff
out of the landfill. Join us for the
Palo Alto Citywide Yard Sale on
June 8. Details will be postedon
http://www.PaloAltoOnline.com/
yardsale/
The map and listings will be uploaded to this page and be printed in the
June 7, 2013 edition of the Palo
Alto Weekly.
Pleasanton, 3591 Touriga Drive,
May 25, 8am-3pm
Garage/Moving Sale-Everything must
go-we are moving out of state in July!
Appliances (big and small), furniture,
household items, sporting goods, knickknacks. Saturday, May 25 from 8am3pm 3591 Touriga Drive
Pleasanton, CA 94566

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immune to advertising, finds itself
immune to business. Reach Californians
with a Classified in almost every
county! Over 270 newspapers! ComboCalifornia Daily and Weekly Networks.
Free Brochures. elizabeth@cnpa.com or
(916)288-6019. (Cal-SCAN)
Display Business Card Ad
Many a small thing has been made
large by the right kind of advertising
Mark Twain. Advertise your Business
Card sized ad in 140 California newspapers for one low cost. Reach over
3 million+ Californians. Free brochure
elizabeth@cnpa.com (916)288-6019.
(Cal-SCAN)

HOME
SERVICES
751 General
Contracting
NOTICE TO READERS >It is illegal
for an unlicensed person to perform
contracting work on any project valued at $500.00 or more in labor and
materials. State law also requires
that contractors include their license
numbers on all advertising. Check
your contractor’s status at www.cslb.
ca.gov or 800-321-CSLB (2752).
Unlicensed persons taking jobs that
total less than $500.00 must state
in their advertisements that they
are not licensed by the Contractors
State License Board
A NOTICE TO READERS:
It is illegal for an unlicensed person
to perform contracting work on
any project valued at $500.00 or
more in labor and materials. State
law also requires that contractors
include their license numbers on all
advertising. Check your contractor’s status at www.cslb.ca.gov or
800-321-CSLB (2752). Unlicensed
persons taking jobs that total less
than $500.00 must state in their
advertisements that they are not
licensed by the Contractors State
License Board.

LEGALS
995 Fictitious Name
Statement
ERNIE REYES’ WEST COAST MARTIAL
ARTS
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME
STATEMENT
File No.: 478548
The following person(s) doing business
as: Ernie Reyes’ West Coast Martial
Arts, 5684 Stoneridge Dr., Pleasanton,
CA 94588, is hereby registered by the
following owner(s): Tribe Strength and
Conditioning, 5684 Stoneridge Dr.,
Pleasanton, CA 94588. This business is
conducted by a Corporation. Registrant
began transacting business under the
fictitious business name(s) listed herein
05/16/2013. Signature of Registrant:
Brian Go, President. This statement was
filed with the County Clerk of Alameda
on 05/16/2013. (Pleasanton Weekly,
May 24, 31, June 7, 14, 2013)

PET OF THE WEEK
Try Blazer
on for size
Blazer is dashing in his
collar and tail. Sporting
black patches on his
back, the miniature
5-year-old fox terrier-mix
is ready for a day out,
whether at the regatta or
on the green. Slip in to
Valley Humane Society
and try Blazer on for
VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY/V. KELLY
size, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tuesdays through Saturdays; noon-4 p.m. Sundays, at
3670 Nevada St. Call 426-8656 or visit www.valleyhumane.org for more information.
Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊMay 24, 2013ÊU Page 21

Real Estate

OPEN HOME GUIDE AND REAL ESTATE LISTINGS

Real Estate Matters:
The good and bad of Zillow
Elephant in room is that no one
from Zillow ever comes to your home
BY WENDY MCPHERSON

When Zillow came online a few years
ago, it was an instant challenge to realestate appraisers and professionals and gave
a great deal of perceived knowledge to the
public.
It was much like the medical sites that
came online where you could check out the
headache and accompanying bloody nose
you had last night and search out the fact
that you now have an Ebola virus.
People would start out conversations
with their real-estate agents: “Well, Zillow
says my house is worth XXX.” These values
are placed on houses by Zillow with the
use of algorithms. I believe that is a foursyllable word for formulas.
I also believe these values are based, in
part, on the square footage of the house and
the square footage of the lot, although many
more components go into it. The elephant
in the room with Zillow, of course, is that
no human being from Zillow has ever been
in the house to see if that 325-square-foot
kitchen’s main feature is dry rot or it has
just been remodeled by Ralph Lauren. Or if
the house has a serious floor-plan problem
such as having to go through one bedroom

to get to another bedroom. Or...
Well, you get the picture. The absolute
best model for the use of Zillow is a Fresno
housing tract built in 1985 by a large
nationwide home builder where there is
complete consistency in the product and
where the financial demographics indicate
that most of those 218 Fresno homes may
have not varied too much from their original construction.
The fact is that Zillow is far more precise
where the homes are homogenous as opposed to heterogeneous.
Close surrounding areas do not meet this
homogenous criteria. The houses here were
not all built at the same time, and homeowners have the ability to do just about
anything they want to their homes.
This is from Zillow’s own website: “The
Zestimate home valuation is Zillow’s estimated market value, computed using a
proprietary formula. It is not an appraisal.
It is a starting point in determining a
home’s value. The Zestimate is calculated
from public and user submitted data:
Your real estate agent or appraiser physiSee ZILLOW on Page 23

DRE# 01232520

925-577-6113
jbranchini@gmail.com

www.jenniferbranchini.com
2010 REALTOR of the Year

1-4
DAY
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/FFERED AT
s .ICOLE !VENUE
0LEASANTON

1-4
DAY
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Exquisite 4 bedroom/3 bath
luxury home situated in
desirable community. Extensive custom stonework
throughout with radiant heat
ﬂooring, gourmet kitchen,
built-in
refrigerator
and
espresso system. Situated
on over half an acre with
newly renovated pool/spa,
lanai, built-in BBQ island,
gorgeous landscaping and a
well to service the irrigation.
This is must see!

cally inspects the home and takes special
features, location, and market conditions
into account.
We encourage buyers, sellers and homeowners to supplement Zillowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s information by doing other research such as:
n Getting a Comparative Market Analysis
(CMA) from a real estate agent
â&#x2013; Getting an appraisal from a professional
appraiser
â&#x2013; Visiting the house (whenever possible).
Zillow has now been around for about
seven years and it has become an excellent
tool in many ways for both buyers and
sellers. They have sophisticated statistical tools, charts, graphs, pictures, helpful links, loan information. It is a virtual
smorgasbord of real estate information.
Once you log onto Zillow, you can
quickly become a real-estate voyeur.
What did your neighborâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house really
sell for? Did they actually get $3.4 million when you know their roof has been
leaking on and off for six years and their
garage floods every time there is a heavy
rain?
Another thing to do is research your own
neighborhood for price information and
then compare it to the current Zestimate.
As soon as you see a house come on the
market, check out its Zestimate and then
compare it to what it eventually sells for.
Regardless of big data manipulation and
algorithms, it is still the buyers that make
the market. Zillow is a great starting point,
then listen to the people who are in dayto-day touch with the buyers.

Visit pleasantonweekly.com/real_estate
for sales information, current listings
and open homes.

This stunning 6 bedroom, 3 bathroom home offers 2,820+/- square feet. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Expanded
Heritageâ&#x20AC;? model in beautiful Birdland, with a full bedroom and bathroom downstairs,
features an expanded family room with custom millwork and built-ins, remodeled granite
baths and kitchen with stainless steel appliances. French doors open to a stunning
backyard with an outdoor kitchen, stamped concrete patio and pergola. All of this is just
a short walk to schools, shopping and the sports park. Listed for $995,000 and sold for
$1,037,500 in four days.
Sold by Tim McGuire at Alain Pinel Realtors (925) 462-SOLD (7653)

Real Estate Professionals â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Who!
Reach afďŹ&#x201A;uent home buyers along the 680 corridor
Tell potential clients about your
expertise and how you can help them.

Wendy McPherson manages about 145
agents for Coldwell Banker in two Menlo
Park offices, plus Woodside and Portola Valley. She can be reached at WMcPherson@
cbnorcal.com.

s )NSIDE THE 0LEASANTON 7EEKLY
s 2UNS THE SECOND &RIDAY OF EVERY MONTH
s -AILED TO
SUBSCRIBERS

Sellers!
I have buyers looking in all price ranges!
If you are thinking of selling your home,
please call me or email me for a
complete market analysis of your home.
This is a great time to move up
or down or out of the area!

Gail Boal

Colleen McKean, CRS

REALTOR® LIC # 01276455

REALTOR® LIC #00868205
925.847.8880
www.colleenmckean.com

925.577.5787
www.gailboal.com
Coming Soon

Downsizing Isn’t Easy…Until you see this beautiful one level home located
in the heart of Livermore’s wine country. Stunning one level home with over
2500 interior sq ft. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a 3 car garage. Gourmet granite
slab counters, stainless steel appliances and a center island. Majestic oak trees and
mature landscaping line the streets of this wonderful South Livermore home.
Priced in the mid $900,000’s

“We are enjoying home ownership for the ﬁrst time
and are so grateful that we found our KW Agent
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Thank you for being there for us during
the entire process.”
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